Ray Vaughn, also a professor of computer science at UAH, will discuss critical infrastructure security during TakeDownCon, which takes place Aug. 18-19 at the Dynetics Solutions Complex on 1004 Explorer Boulevard. Training courses kick off today and will run through Sunday.

Vaughn was hired by UAH in 2013 after serving as associate vice president for research at Mississippi State University. After retiring from the Army, he worked three years as the vice president of DISA Integrated Services at EDS Government Systems.

The first day of the conference will focus on the "attack" and how protected systems can be breached, while the final day will touch on defense against today's most powerful security exploits, vulnerabilities and threats.